“It is a beautiful exhibition and should become permanent. If not, I hope it will be replaced by another equally worthy one as early as December 1st” – “It is splendid! Visitors love it. Why not make it permanent? It adds great value to the visit” – “Truly splendid…. It should be permanent!” – “An extraordinary exhibition! Objects created with a mastery that is difficult to imagine. Jewels of rare refinement and everyday tools that leave you astonished. The only tragic thing is that it is not a permanent exhibition”.
These are some of the voices collected over the months that have urged the Management of the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum to make the exhibition permanent. SplendOri. Luxury in ornaments in Herculaneum and so the decision comes: from permanent exhibition with stable exposure.
Launched on December 20, 2018, almost a year after opening, the Park's first major exhibition received a standing ovation that translated into the long-awaited decision.
“SplendOri. Luxury in ornaments in Herculaneum” is the exhibition that brought out of storage, for the first time in such massive quantities, gold jewelry, precious objects, and artifacts for personal and everyday use.
The opening of the exhibition corresponded, in December 2018, to the opening of the Antiquarium, a building that needed final interventions before being open to visitors.
“The operation was the result of a great effort to adapt the building to welcome visitors by adapting it with every safety measure that would allow its opening – declares the Director Francesco Sirano – we have offered the community and visitors a functional space that has also allowed us to host conferences, conventions and workshops. We have decided to meet the numerous requests of visitors to make the exhibition permanent, but this does not distract us from the goal of providing the Park with a museum that completes the experience of the visit in all aspects and in an innovative way.
SplendOri was a first step that allowed us to combine fruition and research to define the museographic project of the site. The current layout will be enriched during 2020 without ever compromising the enjoyment of the assets by the public.The research work is continuing and we are developing the other two exhibitions of the cycle “Ercolano. Talento passato e presente” that will see the light in the next few months dedicated to highlighting two other peculiar aspects that make Ercolano a unique case in the entire Roman world: one on wood and cabinet-making, the other on food and the civilization of the table.”
SplendOri. Luxury in ornaments in Herculaneum It is a collection of about 200 jewels, precious items, refined household furnishings, table services unique in quantity and cultural value of the pieces on display that is presented to the public on the very site of the discovery; objects that belonged to the ancient Herculaneum inhabitants, some found with the inhabitants in an attempt to save them from the imminent catastrophe of the eruption, others found in the homes of the ancient city.
Equally interesting is the planning of the staff dedicated to the exhibition that, to make the visit always stimulating, will offer the display of different pieces that will not only be gold but will include objects of daily use still connected to luxury and the exaltation of the social status of those who could exhibit objects and furnishings of great value in their homes. If today the famous statues of the deer, which gave the name to the domus, and the Demeter from the Villa of the Papyri, welcome visitors, upon returning from the exhibitions held abroad, it will soon be possible to observe the mask from the House of Neptune and Amphitrite, coins and a section of a comb for carding wool, this very rare find that demonstrates the processing of fabrics in the ancient city (the latter two coming from the ancient beach).
Article published on November 26, 2019 - 09:07
